Two Wings

They said, "Since the Great Pirate Era began, countless powerful figures have emerged."

But what did it really mean to be "strong"?

At this very moment, those trapped behind the wall of fire might have found their answer.

An uninhabited island the size of a town was cleaved apart with a single slash.

The shockwave churned the sea into a whirlpool, swallowing fragments of the island and kicking up enormous waves!

Whoosh—

Crash!

Many ships couldn't withstand the waves and capsized.

The people aboard leaped into the sea to survive, swimming to the few larger ships that had managed to stay afloat.

"Watch out!"

"Cough! Cough, cough, cough..."

"Hurry, hurry! There are still people over there!"

"..."

After a flurry of activity, everyone in the sea had been rescued, and the chaos finally began to subside.

Soaked through, the young soldier slumped against the mast and let out a long breath. "Finally... finally, we're safe..."

"No, we aren't."

Another voice rang out, weary and hoarse.

It was Bepo.

At the last moment, he and Jaka had risked their lives to protect Cobra. King's attack had not been intended to kill, either, so all three had survived with injuries.

Cobra and Jaka had gone to tend to the wounded, leaving the badly injured Bepo alone on deck to rest.

Bepo looked at the soldier and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

He raised his eyes toward the two figures in the sky and murmured to himself:

"Until they decide the winner, there's no such thing as 'safe' for us..."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Four wings, divided into two pairs, beat up and down.

Two hulking figures hovered in the air, facing each other.

"..."

King's gaze darkened as he regulated his breathing. The ring of flames behind his head continued to burn.

Those flames were what made him unique as a surviving member of the Lunarian tribe.

As long as they burned, his defensive power increased tremendously, allowing him to survive in any natural environment!

Aiven Lindsey's attacks were truly terrifying.

They looked savage and brutal, but every strike pushed speed and power to their absolute limits, making them nearly impossible to dodge!

If King hadn't kept his flames burning the entire time, the fight might already have been decided.

What next...?

Keep going?

No.

There was something more important.

King narrowed his eyes and examined the "person" before him again. His pupils contracted, and his gaze betrayed a hint of astonishment.

Was that really... Aiven Lindsey?

His hulking, muscular build was gone.

In its place was a slender, elongated frame.

His withered skin had taken on a dull blue hue. His sharp teeth and fangs stood out, and even his ears had become pointed.

The wings on his back were clearly different from King's.

The wings Lunarians were born with were feathered.

Aiven Lindsey's, on the other hand, were proper membranous wings!

The bones on either side spread apart, joined by pale gray membranes. They looked much like the "Pteranodon wings" King sprouted after activating his Devil Fruit Ability!

"..."

Even someone as proud as King couldn't help but marvel. The World Government was entirely justified in calling Aiven Lindsey a [Demon].

An anomaly.

An indisputable "anomaly"!

What astonished King most, though, was Lindsey's current posture.

He held a black blade in each hand, arms hanging loosely, the blades pointing down toward the sea.

If not for the vast difference in their appearances, King might have thought he was looking into a mirror!

Just as Aiven Lindsey had said earlier—

"I'm learning from you."

"..."

King fell silent.

He was certain that Lindsey wasn't "imitating" him. He was "learning"!

At that moment, the line running through the center of Aiven Lindsey's body had become perfectly straight, no longer slack as it had been before.

That wasn't something one could pick up through "imitation." It could only come from "learning"!

"..."

"Tch!"

King paused for a long while, but in the end, that was all he said.

He had long accepted that claiming the Poneglyph would mean fighting a hard battle, so he wouldn't retreat now.

Everything was as he'd said—

Fate had already decided!

Whoosh!

King beat his wings and charged in front of Lindsey, swinging his blade down.

Clang!

The two black blades collided and locked together.

King looked at Lindsey.

Amid that strange scarlet glow, the pupil of one of Lindsey's eyes had changed.

His round pupil was gone. In its place were three unbroken horizontal lines, arranged into an isosceles trapezoid.

It was called "dry"!

Sky Demon: West Wood Form!

"..."

King exhaled softly, then shifted his gaze to the pair of wings on Lindsey's back.

Their membranes quivered now and then, keeping his body balanced amid the violent impacts.

"So that's how it is?"

King understood.

He now knew why Aiven Lindsey hadn't used his "flight" ability from the start, and had waited until now.

Was it because he didn't want to?

No.

It was because he couldn't!

In this vast ocean, people with wings on their backs were exceedingly rare. Those who could use them effectively in battle were rarer still.

That Zoan Devil Fruit User from Alabasta?

He might have given Aiven Lindsey some inspiration, but it wasn't nearly enough to let him further develop his abilities!

Now, through fighting King, the [Demon] had finally taken his first steps, learning the basics of using his wings in aerial combat.

"But that's all they are—the basics."

King pressed harder, making Lindsey's wings tremble even more. He couldn't help sneering.

"With wings as new as a newborn's, do you think you can keep up with me?"

"Ha!"

At that, Lindsey grinned and beat his wings even faster, putting more force behind each flap.

"Let's see!"

"..."

A brief silence.

Then—

Whoosh!

Both figures vanished from their positions at the same time.

The air around them rang with a series of clangs. Their blades had clashed dozens of times!

Everyone who witnessed the scene over the nearby sea held their breath, staring fixedly at the sky.

The sunlight stung their eyes and brought tears, but they refused to lower their eyelids.

This was a rare aerial battle, almost unheard of on the high seas!

If they missed even a moment because they looked away, they'd never forgive themselves—even on their deathbeds!

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

Metal and earth and stone, black blade against black blade, Armament Haki against Armament Haki!

The two sides collided, scattering countless sparks through the sky.

Clang!

After another clash, King deliberately retreated farther than before. Then, gripping his blade in one hand, he activated his Devil Fruit Ability and transformed his other arm into a Pteranodon's wing.

The feathers on his back shuddered, propelling him forward at tremendous speed.

"Come on, learn some more, [Demon]!"

Armament Haki wrapped around the Pteranodon wing, turning it into a solid hammer as he slammed it toward Lindsey.

Lindsey followed suit, coating one of his wings in ancient Armament Haki before launching himself upward.

One soared up, the other plunged down. Their voices crossed as they passed.

Clang!

A harsh, deafening boom rang through the sky.

One move ended, and the next was already coming!

King's entire body transformed into a Pteranodon. He drew his head back, stretching it like a slingshot, and took aim at Lindsey, who was diagonally above him.

The move looked inexplicable, but it was like an immensely destructive laser beam, nearly impossible to defend against!

"Watch closely, [Demon]!"

"This is how an ancient Pteranodon hunts!"

On the other side, Lindsey raised his head high. His body gradually grew longer as emerald-green scales sprouted along his back and spread to the tips of his wings.

West Wood: Howling Wind—Composite Form!

He bared his sharp fangs, gathering air and power.

Release!

Lindsey and King aimed at each other from opposite diagonals, one above and one below, and unleashed their deadly attacks at the same time.

The Frenzied Airflow of the Composite Form—

Roared!

And the devastating shockwave created by pulling back a Pteranodon's head—

Marten's Self-Esteem Emperor!

Boom!

The two attacks crashed together between them, and their shockwave reached the sea, kicking up even larger waves!

Crash!

When the sea had calmed somewhat, everyone on deck looked up again. The two figures were still facing each other in the sky.

Both Lindsey and King had returned to the state they'd been in at the start of their duel.

Each held a black blade of identical dimensions, gazing at the other.

They both knew they had given the fight everything they had. The next move would be their last.

The winner would soon be decided!

As for what that move would be, they already knew the answer...

Lindsey and King sheathed their blades, then leaned forward, bending at the waist as the wings on their backs beat slowly.

King said, "Come on. One more slash!"

Lindsey nodded.

"Yeah. One more slash!"